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Diagnostics
Special Issues
Diagnosis and Management of Endocrine Disorders
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Diagnosis and Management of Endocrine Disorders

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Diagnosis and Prognosis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1102

Editor

Prof. Dr. Hugo Mendieta Zerón

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hospital Materno-Perinatal ‘Mónica Pretelini Sáenz’, Toluca, Mexico
Interests: clinical endocrinology; metabolic diseases; diabetes; hypertension

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue focused on diagnostic approaches in endocrinology—topics of daily relevance to clinicians.

While molecular research has advanced our understanding of endocrine disorders, challenges remain in diagnosis, particularly due to the low incidence of certain conditions, which limits the feasibility of large-scale clinical trials. As a result, systematic reviews, retrospective studies, and other methods are often employed—despite their inherent limitations.

This Special Issue aims to explore current diagnostic strategies and their practical application in clinical settings. We welcome contributions that address the following areas:

  • Diabetes and Prediabetes: Evaluating the diagnostic criteria for prediabetes and assessing the clinical utility of early detection and monitoring tools.
  • Growth Hormone Deficiency: Reviewing existing diagnostic tests and exploring how primary care physicians can improve early detection to avoid diagnostic delays.
  • Dyslipidemia: Assessing the role of advanced diagnostic methods—such as lipoprotein electrophoresis or saliva-based molecular tests—in identifying high-risk patients and guiding management decisions.
  • Osteoporosis: Identifying risk factors and proposing early diagnostic strategies to prevent or delay disease onset.
  • Hyperprolactinemia: Examining diagnostic challenges and the timing of interventions, particularly in patients who cannot discontinue treatment.
  • Hyperthyroidism: Analyzing diagnostic considerations during critical periods, such as pregnancy and thyrotoxic crisis, and their impact on management.

We seek accessible, evidence-based reviews that offer practical insights and strategies to improve patient outcomes. Your expertise would be a valuable addition to this issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Hugo Mendieta Zerón
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • type 2 diabetes
  • growth hormone deficiency
  • dyslipidemia
  • osteoporosis
  • hyperprolactinemia
  • hyperthyroidism

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 434 KB  
Article
New Cortisol Thresholds for the Diagnosis of Adrenal Insufficiency Using the Low-Dose Synacthen Test in Children on Long-Term Corticosteroids: A North African Pilot Study
by Taieb Ach, Abdelbari Marwa, Ben Hadj Ali Wiem, Marzouk Hajer, Wiem Saafi, Zarrouk Oumayma, Tej Amel, Kbaili Raoudha, Jaballah Nesrine, Bouguila Jihene, Soyah Najla, Hamza El Fekih, Saad Ghada, Debbabi Wided, Monia Zaouali, Yosra Hasni and Boughammoura Lamia
Diagnostics 2026, 16(7), 1065; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16071065 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 828
Abstract
Background: The low-dose Synacthen stimulation test (LD-SST) is the reference dynamic test for diagnosing glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (AI) in children, but it is resource-intensive and costly. This study aimed to establish morning cortisol thresholds predictive of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis response to LD-SST in [...] Read more.
Background: The low-dose Synacthen stimulation test (LD-SST) is the reference dynamic test for diagnosing glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (AI) in children, but it is resource-intensive and costly. This study aimed to establish morning cortisol thresholds predictive of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis response to LD-SST in pediatric patients receiving chronic corticosteroid therapy. Methods: We conducted a prospective study including 71 children (mean age 6.23 ± 3.49 years; 57.7% male) receiving prolonged oral or inhaled corticosteroids. All patients underwent LD-SST with cortisol measurements at 0, 30, and 60 min. Patients were classified as having AI (peak cortisol < 18 μg/dL at T30 or T60, n = 39) or normal adrenal function (peak cortisol ≥ 18 μg/dL, n = 32). ROC curve analysis determined optimal cortisol thresholds for predicting AI. Results: Among the 71 patients, 44 received inhaled corticosteroids (62%) and 27 oral corticosteroids (38%). Asthma (61.9%) and autoimmune diseases (18.3%) were the main indications. The prevalence of AI was 54.9% (n = 39). Mean morning cortisol was significantly lower in the AI group compared to the normal group (6.69 ± 1.99 vs. 9.21 ± 2.49 μg/dL, p < 0.001). ROC analysis identified a morning cortisol <6 μg/dL as predictive of AI with 96.9% sensitivity and 46.2% specificity (AUC = 0.823), while a threshold >13 μg/dL predicted normal HPA function with 100% specificity. Using these thresholds would have avoided LD-SST in 29.6% of patients. The cortisol increment following stimulation also demonstrated diagnostic value (AUC = 0.822), with an increment <9 μg/dL suggesting AI and ≥9 μg/dL likely excluding the diagnosis. Conclusions: In this North African pilot study, morning cortisol measurement at 7 days after oral corticosteroid withdrawal predicted LD-SST response. A threshold of ≤6 μg/dL identified patients with persistent HPA suppression with high sensitivity (97.4%), while ≥13 μg/dL identified patients with preserved function with high specificity (100%). However, the 7-day washout period might be insufficient for complete HPA recovery; therefore, these thresholds reflect residual suppression rather than permanent adrenal insufficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Endocrine Disorders)
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